When Stefania Patinella, the director of food programs at the Children’s Aid Society, asked me to cook with some of the kids who are working at Next Generation Caterers, the organization’s catering service run out of their spiffy new kitchen on 172nd...
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When Stefania Patinella, the director of food programs at the Children’s Aid Society, asked me to cook with some of the kids who are working at Next Generation Caterers, the organization’s catering service run out of their spiffy new kitchen on 172nd Street and Southern Boulevard in the Bronx, I said “sure.” The program aims to give less advantaged kids the experience they need to get jobs in the culinary world. The Feb. 3 evening turned out to be a semi-meet-and-greet, a mutual check-out and a fundraiser, to which board members and donors were invited to eat the food cooked by the kids. I did some stirring, tasting and encouraging. The direct supervising was done by the program’s chef, LuAnne Blaauboer, as well as Staefania and a few other adults. We cooked roasted sweet potatoes, Cassoulet with Loads of Vegetables (from my book “Food Matters,” recipe below), and salted cabbage. I was pleased to see that the cassoulet went well; we used six pounds of meat for 60 people, the flavor was... See less 
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